J&K Bank Chief Manager sacked in interest of security of State

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Bank Ltd has terminated the services of a Chief Manager and a regular business columnist of the English language daily Greater Kashmir.

A circular issued from the Secretariat of the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the J&K Bank on Saturday said that Chief Manager Sajad Ahmad Bazaz had been dismissed ‘in the interest of the security of the State’ with immediate effect.

“Whereas, the undersigned is satisfied after considering the facts and circumstances of the case contained in the report received from credible agencies, that the activities of Mr Sajad Ahmad Bazaz, Chief Manager, Code no. 4484 posted at Internal Communication and Marketing Department are such as to warrant his dismissal from service under Rule/Provision 12.29 in OSM (Officers Service Manual)”, reads the order of dismissal.

Even as Bazaz’s order of dismissal did not specify the detailed reasons of his termination just 11 days short of his superannuation, it stated that a report about his profile and activities had been received from a government agency, probably the CID. Officials said that he was scheduled to retire on 31 August 2023.

For over a decade Bazaz was incharge of the bank’s Corporate Communications Department and distribution of paid advertisements to media was his primary responsibility. Coming from the background of media, Bazaz with a Masters in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Kashmir was simultaneously a regular business columnist with the English daily Greater Kashmir for more than 20 years.

His dismissal comes days after the termination of the Media incharge at the University of Kashmir, Faheem Aslam, who was also a regular political reporter with ‘Greater Kashmir’ for a long time.

Bazaz’s former colleagues maintained that his columns were essentially related to business and banking with no political content or analysis.

In the last over two years, the Union Territory Government has terminated the services of more than 60 officials under the law which empowers Lieutenant Governor to dismiss any employee in the interest of the security of the State without holding a formal departmental enquiry against him. On the basis of the reports from the State Police and intelligence agencies, a high level committee submits such cases for approval of the LG. Subsequently, the Government issues such orders with the LG’s mandatory sanction.

However, this is for the first time in the UT that a senior officer of the bank has been dismissed by the MD and CEO.